Red Sox Pregame Notes: Jon Lester available, Shane Victorino back

BOSTON -- Jon Lester would be available out of the bullpen if needed in a Game Seven, manager John Farrell said Wednesday.

By Tim Britton

BOSTON -- Jon Lester would be available out of the bullpen if needed in a Game Seven, manager John Farrell said Wednesday.

Lester threw 91 pitches in Monday's Game Five win. Thursday would represent his normal throw day. John Lackey pitched an inning out of the bullpen on his normal throw day in Boston's Game Four victory.

"If we find ourselves in a situation where we need him tomorrow, he's available," Farrell said.

Lester did deal with back tightness in that game, but Farrell said it isn't a concern going forward.

Clay Buchholz will also be available out of the bullpen in a Game Seven. Buchholz could even be used in Game Six in an emergency situation.

Lester's availability for a Game Seven does make it easier for the Red Sox to use Felix Doubront in Game Six if needed. Doubront has been one of Boston's best relievers in the World Series, and Farrell indicated he wouldn't hold him back for Game Seven.

Doubront is ready for multiple innings on Wednesday, although Farrell would like to bring him in to a clean inning, if possible.

All that means that Jake Peavy remains the scheduled starter for a Game Seven.

***

Shane Victorino is back in the Red Sox lineup, but down in the No. 6 spot in the order for the first time all season.

Farrell indicated a preference for keeping the top of the order -- Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz -- as consistent as possible after the last two games.

Moving Victorino down has nothing to do with limiting his number of at-bats because of the back injury that kept him out of Games Four and Five.

"In talking with Vic about this yesterday, he was understanding of it," Farrell said. "Gave him my reasons for it, for what we mentioned as well as keep the other two guys at the top of the order."

Farrell has wanted to lengthen the lineup out behind Ortiz, as well as get the incandescently hot designated hitter up to the plate as much as possible.

Victorino's return to the lineup gives the Red Sox their best defensive alignment of the series, with Mike Napoli back at first base and David Ross behind the plate.

Farrell said he's "not at all" concerned about Napoli being rusty after a few games off in St. Louis.

"My thought is that rhythm will be overridden by adrenaline," he said.

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The Red Sox have remained loose in the hours leading up to Game Six -- the first time Fenway Park has hosted a potential clinching game of the World Series in 38 years. Boston has stuck to its season-long philosophy of merely focusing on the game at hand.

"Our guys know where we are. We know what's in front of us here tonight and possibly tomorrow," Farrell said. "But the mood coming in, the early work that's taken place, very consistent."

"It's the same focus that we've had since Day One," said Pedroia. "We've got a game today. We're going to try our best to go out there and execute our pitch and play the game the right way and try to win that game. This is the game on the schedule that we have to play and try to win. That's what we're going to focus on."

"If tomorrow comes, tomorrow comes," Victorino said. "But from Day One we've all focused on the game that's in fronts of us. What we have tonight, we understand the magnitude. There's a lot of excitement."

Farrell did admit some excitement about being back at Fenway.

"It's the atmosphere that's created in here," he said. "It's what comes to life here every night is the thing that stands out for me. Our fans, much like we came from in St. Louis, when you're in a ballpark that people know the game, they anticipate situations that are building, and to see it explode when something positive happens, that's the thing that stands out to me. The electricity that it generates is awesome."

Twitter: @TimBritton

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